Group calls for preventative care benefits

The American Association of Diabetes Educators is pushing for private health insurance companies and Medicare to include education for pre-diabetes patients as part of their benefits.

Research has shown that preventative care can actually reduce expenses for health care in the long run. If left untreated, pre-diabetes can turn into type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, type 2 diabetes is preventable and controllable if people know how to properly care for themselves.

People with diabetes end up paying about 2.3 times more for medical care than their healthier counterparts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Direct medical costs can run as high as $116 billion nationwide, they say.

In July of this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced new regulations that will require health insurance plans to provide preventative care at no extra charge. The new rules, however, have not gone into effect yet.

The AADE President Deborah Fillman says that providing such care only makes sense.

"We are simply calling on Congress and the private sector to recognize this obvious fiscal and public health benefit," said Fillman.